EVLauncher is a simple custom home launcher designed for the MG4 head unit (1920×720, landscape). It is part of the EVSuite (EVProfile, EVTasker, EVABRPUploader, EVSwipe) and shares its dark Material 3 theme, its CI/CD and security gates, and its two-channel release model.
⚠️ This software runs on a vehicle head unit. Do not interact with it while driving. Read DISCLAIMER.md before installing. This independent project is not affiliated with or approved by SAIC Motor or MG Motor. MG and MG4 are third-party marks used only to identify compatibility.
- Screenshots
⚠️ Upgrading from an earlier build — please read- Features
- Channels
- EVSuite releases
- Changing a pinned app
- Second screen (system info)
- Building
- Project documents
- Security
- Contributing
- Legal
The application id changed from com.evsuite.launcher to
com.evsuite.launcher, and the app is now signed with the EVSuite platform
key (the same key as EVProfile and EVTasker). Either change alone forces a fresh
install: uninstall the previous version first, then install the new one, then set it
as the default home again from Android settings. Favorites are stored per-app, so they are
reset.
- Swipeable two-page home: a horizontal carousel (
ViewPager2). Swipe left/right between the launcher home (page 1) and a system-info screen (page 2). A SAIC-style bar indicator at the bottom centre shows the current page. - Favorite cards (page 1): a grid of cards, each launching one app of your choice — up to 12. Tap a card to open its app; long-press to replace or remove it. The last tile is always a +, which is how a new app is added. Rows and columns follow the number of cards (1 row up to 4 apps, 2 rows up to 8, 3 rows beyond), so the tiles stay as large as the count allows.
- Fourth column:
- All apps (top card): every launchable app, in a grid.
- Two fixed shortcuts (bottom card): the Android 9 default Files and Settings apps, side by side as icons.
- System apps: inside the All apps drawer, the header filters system apps
(
FLAG_SYSTEM) and provides a back button to return home. - EVSuite manager: the EVSuite button checks stable/offline GitHub releases only on request, shows changelogs, and downloads verified APKs for manual installation.
- EVSuite theme: dark Material 3 on the shared
ev_*colour and spacing tokens, with the suite's 72 dp touch target. Dark is imposed rather than following the system: the screen faces the driver at night, and a light background filling the windscreen is glare, not a preference. - Persisted favorites: the chosen apps are saved across reboots (a home page built with an older three-slot version is migrated on first launch).
Two build flavors, like the sibling apps:
- stable — tagged releases with no self-update or installer capability.
- unstable — a pre-release published on every push to
master, also without self-update or installer capability. Application idcom.evsuite.launcher.unstable, so it installs beside a stable build (only one of the two can be the default home at a time).
Both channels update manually. The suite manager validates HTTPS and the GitHub allowlist at every redirect, verifies package identity and the suite certificate, then asks Android where to save the APK. It never invokes an installer, and private temporary APKs are always deleted. See SECURITY.md.
From All apps → EVSuite, tap Refresh to check each app's latest stable/offline GitHub release. Select an available version to read its changelog, then choose Download APK and a save location. To install, park the car, open Files, select the downloaded APK, review Android's app name and permissions, then tap Install. Repositories and package names use a fixed allowlist, every APK must carry the suite signing certificate, and the launcher cleans private EVSuite APKs after export.
Long-press a card to choose between replace and remove; replacing opens the app picker. To add one, tap the trailing + tile and pick an app. Your choices are saved across reboots.
Swipe right from the home to reach the system-info page (SystemInfoFragment /
res/layout/fragment_system.xml). It shows live, permission-free stats that refresh
while the page is visible:
- Device: manufacturer + model, Android version (release · API), uptime, and the installed launcher version.
- Memory: used / total RAM.
- Storage: free / total internal storage.
- Network: active connection type (Wi-Fi / mobile / Ethernet / offline) and, on Wi-Fi, the negotiated link speed.
Standard Android project (Java + Kotlin, AGP 8.6, Gradle 8.7, minSdk 28 /
targetSdk 34). JDK 17 is required and pinned in mise.toml.
mise run build # stable debug APK
mise run build-unstable # unstable debug APK (manual updates only)
mise run test # JVM unit tests, both channels
mise run permissions # permission-drift gate, same check the CI runs
Or directly:
./gradlew assembleStableDebug
./gradlew assembleUnstableDebug
APKs land under app/build/outputs/apk/<channel>/debug/.
To sign locally, in gradle.properties (never committed) or as environment
variables — the same EVSuite platform key used by EVProfile and EVTasker:
evsuite.keystore=/path/to/platform.keystore
evsuite.keystore.password=…
evsuite.key.alias=platform
evsuite.key.password=…
mise run emulator-setup # one-off: SDK images + both AVDs (needs /dev/kvm)
mise run emulator-screen # API 28 at MG4 panel geometry — the useful one for UI work
mise run emulator-car # API 33 Automotive — automotive system UI, wrong OS version
mise run run # build, install and start on whatever device is connected
mise run emulator-stop
Neither profile is faithful on both axes: the vehicle runs AAOS 9 (API 28), but Google
publishes no Automotive system image below API 33. The screen profile is the one that
matters here — the project targets 1920x1080 @ 160dpi
(SWI68-29958-1300R69). The 1920×720 quoted above is the usable app area left under the
system UI; set EMU_HEIGHT=720 in mise.toml and re-run emulator-setup to model that
instead.
The AVDs are named per repo (mg4simple-*, evswipe-*), matching the evtasker-* /
evabrp-* convention used by the sibling projects.
mise run run starts the launcher as an ordinary activity — that does not make it the
default home. Use mise run set-home (or press Home on the emulator and pick it in the
chooser) to exercise it as the real launcher.
| Workflow | Trigger | Blocking |
|---|---|---|
tests.yml |
push / PR | JVM unit tests, both channels |
security.yml |
push / PR | permission-drift gate + gitleaks; mobsfscan / semgrep / OWASP are informational SARIF |
unstable.yml |
push to master |
builds and publishes the rolling unstable pre-release |
release.yml |
v* tag |
builds, checks, and publishes the stable APK |
Every uses-permission must be listed with a justification in
.github/security/permission-allowlist.txt, or the build fails.
- SECURITY.md — threat model, what the download path guarantees, how to report a vulnerability privately
- DISCLAIMER.md — no warranty, no liability, and what running this on a vehicle head unit means concretely
- CONTRIBUTING.md — ground rules and the checks to run before a PR
- LICENSE.md — MIT; this is a fork of an upstream project that publishes no licence of its own, read it before reusing anything
- AGENTS.md — architecture notes for contributors and coding agents
See SECURITY.md for the threat model and how to report a vulnerability privately.
Read CONTRIBUTING.md before opening a pull request. In short: this code runs in a moving vehicle, so changes stay small, carry tests, and say in the diff what would break without them. Anything touching the interface follows DESIGN.md.
The full text lives in DISCLAIMER.md. In short:
This project is provided for study and educational purposes only. It is an experimental, non-commercial project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by SAIC, MG, or any vehicle manufacturer.
The software is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, express or implied. The author accepts no liability for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damage of any kind — including but not limited to damage to the vehicle, its infotainment system, software, or data, loss of functionality, or safety-related consequences — arising from the installation or use of this app. You use it entirely at your own risk. Do not interact with the app while driving.
All graphic resources, trademarks, and brand names belong to their respective owners and are used here for study purposes only.